Special
Mass and anointing of
the sick to take place at cathedral
By Voice staff
The second annual Diocesan World Day of the Sick will
be observed Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. in the Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ
the Light. Bishop Salvatore Cordileone will serve as principal celebrant
for the Mass during which the Sacrament of the Sick will be administered.
Persons living with any serious or acute illness and their families and
caregivers are invited to participate.
The observance is sponsored by members of the Western Association USA
of Order of Malta in the Oakland Diocese.
Areas for wheelchairs will be available in the cathedral and organizers
are recommending arrival by 10:30 a.m. Parking, including handicapped
spaces, will be available free of charge in the cathedral’s underground
garage for the first 200 cars. The garage entrance is located on 21st
Street off Harrison Street.
There will be attendants to help those needing assistance getting from
the garage to the cathedral.
In addition to the parking garage, there are pay parking lots nearby.
The 19th Street BART station is approximately three blocks from the cathedral.
World Day of the Sick was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1992. In
his papal letter of May 13 that year, the Pontiff specified that the annual
day should be held in February to commemorate Our Lady of Lourdes. “This
day . . . seeks to be a special time of prayer and
sharing, of offering one’s suffering for the good of the Church
and of reminding everyone to see in his sick brother or sister the face
of Christ who, by suffering, dying and rising, achieved the salvation
of mankind.”
The Order of Malta is a worldwide organization which began in 1048 A.D.
to serve the sick. It established hospitals in Jerusalem and along the
routes followed by pilgrims to and from the Holy Land. The Knights later
turned their full attention to the service of the sick and the poor of
the world. Their 778 members and provisional members now provide medical,
social care and humanitarian aid in over 110 countries.
Locally, 57 members participate in hands on work and financial support
for the Malta Free Health Clinic located on the cathedral campus, Mercy
Retirement and Care Center in Oakland, St. Mary’s Senior Center
in Oakland, and San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville. They also are
active in Growing the Faith programs in many parochial schools throughout
the diocese.
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